Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
The Israeli Walla! website: We are running out of stockpiles, our forces are exhausted, and the lives of the captives are in danger. It is time for a ceasefire deal in Gaza.
Several wounded in an Israeli bombardment of a tent in al-Mawasi, south of Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli media: Three wounded, three killed in an ongoing operation in the Gaza Strip.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in southern Lebanon: Israeli artillery shelling targets the outskirts of the town of Shebaa
Al-Qassam Brigades: The targeting took place at the intersection of 'Street 5' with the western line north of Khan Younis
Al-Qassam Brigades: A NIMR armored personnel carrier carrying an Israeli soldier was targeted with an Al-Yassin missile north of Khan Younis
Israeli media: At least two soldiers killed by anti-tank missile fired at Israeli army forces in the Gaza Strip
Local Syrian sources: Mortar shells fell on more than nine villages in the Sweida countryside
Local Syrian sources: Dozens of dead and wounded have arrived at Sweida hospitals as a result of ongoing clashes at several locations in the western Sweida countryside
Local sources: Civilians, including children and women, were injured in the al-Maqous neighborhood of Sweida, in Syria, as a result of ongoing clashes

Mexico hits back at US tariffs as trade dispute escalates

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 2 Feb 2025 23:35
4 Min Read

Mexico has been preparing for potential retaliatory measures, with sources indicating that tariffs between 5% and 20% could be applied to US pork, cheese, fresh produce, steel, and aluminum.

Listen
  • x
  • The U.S. and Mexico flags flutter at the Paso del Norte bridge that connects Ciudad Juarez, Mexico and El Paso, Texas, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. (AP)
    The US and Mexico flags flutter at the Paso del Norte bridge that connects Ciudad Juarez, Mexico and El Paso, Texas, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. (AP)

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced on Saturday that her administration will impose retaliatory tariffs in response to Washington's decision to implement a blanket 25% tariff on all Mexican imports.

The move, authorized under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), marks a sharp escalation in trade tensions between the two countries.

In a statement on X, Sheinbaum expressed a preference for dialogue over confrontation but said that Mexico could not allow the US measures to go unanswered.

"I've instructed my economy minister to implement the Plan B we've been working on, which includes tariff and non-tariff measures in defense of Mexico's interests," she wrote, though she did not specify which US products would be targeted.

US-Mexico trade at risk

Trade between Mexico and the US has grown substantially over the past few decades, with industries such as automobiles, agriculture, and energy deeply intertwined. Fresh produce, oil, and manufactured goods move in both directions, making Mexico the largest destination for US exports as of 2023.

Mexico has been preparing for potential retaliatory measures, with sources indicating that tariffs between 5% and 20% could be applied to US pork, cheese, fresh produce, steel, and aluminum. The auto industry will initially be excluded, according to officials familiar with the plan.

While Sheinbaum has yet to disclose specific details, reports suggest that Mexico is considering non-tariff measures as well, potentially disrupting the supply chain flow between the two countries.

Related News

Mexico sues Google over renaming of Gulf of Mexico on US maps

Mexican pres. rejects Trump’s proposal to deploy US troops in Mexico

USMCA violations 

Mexico's Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard condemned the tariffs, calling them a "flagrant violation" of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). "Plan B is underway," Ebrard wrote on X. "We will win!"

The economic impact of these tariffs could be severe. The US imported over $475 billion worth of Mexican goods in 2023, while US exports to Mexico were valued at $322 billion, according to Census Bureau data.

Given that nearly one-third of Mexico's GDP is tied to exports to the US, the 25% tariff could result in a 12% drop in exports and a 4% contraction in GDP if it remains in place for a full year, according to Gabriela Siller, economic analysis director at Grupo Financiero BASE.

The decision has also sparked concerns among US businesses, particularly in the agricultural sector, which relies heavily on Mexico as an export market.

Read more: Trump tariffs Canada, Mexico, China, escalating trade tensions

Mexico's pushback

The White House has defended the tariffs, citing what it described as Mexico's handling of migration and drug trafficking, particularly the fentanyl crisis. Trump directly tied the new trade measures to these concerns, stating that Mexico had failed to "stop fentanyl" from reaching US borders.

Sheinbaum strongly rejected this narrative, calling it "slander." She defended her administration's efforts in combating drug trafficking, stating that since taking office in October, authorities had seized 20 million doses of fentanyl and arrested more than 10,000 individuals tied to the drug trade.

"If the United States government and its agencies wanted to address the serious consumption of fentanyl in their country, they could, for example, combat the sale of narcotics on the streets of their main cities, which they do not do, and the money laundering generated by this illegal activity that has done so much harm to their population," she wrote on X. 

Rechazamos categóricamente la calumnia que hace la Casa Blanca al Gobierno de México de tener alianzas con organizaciones criminales, así como cualquier intención injerencista en nuestro territorio.

Si en algún lugar existe tal alianza es en las armerías de los Estados Unidos…

— Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo (@Claudiashein) February 2, 2025

The Mexican government has also questioned the legality of the move under IEEPA, arguing that national security concerns related to drugs and migration should not justify economic sanctions on a trade partner.

Meanwhile, Ricardo Monreal, leader of Mexico's ruling party in Congress, described the US measures as "one of the heaviest attacks Mexico has received in its independent history."

  • Claudia Sheinbaum
  • tariffs
  • US
  • Mexico
  • trade war

Most Read

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Major ambush in Gaza kills 6 Israeli troops, injures dozens

Major ambush in Gaza kills 5 Israeli troops, injures 14

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Israeli soldiers are seen in Beit Hanoun ahead of an operation by the al-Qassam Brigades, undated (Al-Qassam Brigades Military Media)

'Israel' on blast as media exposes report discrepancies in Gaza ambush

  • Palestine
  • 8 Jul 2025
Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

Yemen Navy sinks ETERNITY C ship, shares footage of operation

  • Politics
  • 9 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
The Freedom Flotilla ship Handala as it departs for Gaza, where it aims to break the maritime blockade at a port in Syracuse, Sicily in southern Italy on July 13, 2025. (AFP)
Palestine

Freedom Flotilla's Handala departs Sicily in bid to break Gaza siege

The container ship CMA CGM Laperouse, left, docks at the Georgia Ports Authority's Port of Savannah, Sept. 29, 2021, in Savannah, Ga (AP)
Politics

US shipbuilding woes deepen as tariffs, outdated policies backfire

Gaza war raises ethical questions for ex-Obama, Biden officials
Politics

Mercenary firm tied to Gaza war crimes hires Obama-Biden PR operatives

'Israel' targets children in Gaza collecting water
Palestine

'Israel' strikes Gaza kids fetching water, blames it on 'malfunction'

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS